One Hundred and seventy eight

CHAPTER 178

Alicia walked into Uncle Chuck's ice cream parlor and made the bell at the entrance ring loudly. From where she was, Alicia could immediately see Ethan and Uncle Chuck sitting together at one of the tables. The two men immediately turned around, looking at Alicia who immediately went inside and approached Ethan and Uncle Chuck.

"Hey, what are you guys doing? Did I miss something?"

Ethan chuckled, then shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Uncle Chuck and I were talking about the dead guy we found last night. The situation is terrible. It's embarrassing!" Ethan held his own head, then shook his head in disbelief. "I hope I wasn't recorded by someone else. My face must be really ugly."

Uncle Chuck tapped Ethan on the shoulder, he made a mocking face as he said, "I should have taken a picture of you. We can stick your pale, zombie-like face on the wall. The buyers will love it."

"Are you mocking me, Uncle?"

Alicia laughed at the ridiculous behavior of the two men before her. She then crossed her arms over her chest. "But last night was really horrible. I didn't expect that we would encounter such a horrible experience."

Ethan nodded in agreement. He squinted, then continued the conversation, "But was that cop your boyfriend?"

Uncle Chuck also looked at Ethan, then looked at Alicia curiously. "I've seen you with that guy a lot. He must be a special guy."

"Our relationship is just beginning, but Nicholas and I are already very close."

Alicia's revelation about her blossoming relationship with Nicholas hung in the air like an electric current. Uncle Chuck raised his eyebrows, throwing a mischievous smile at Ethan.

"Well, well, Ethan, it looks like our girl here has found her match," Uncle Chuck teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Ethan grinned and leaned back in his chair, slyly. "A cop, huh? I bet he's the type who thinks he's the hero in every situation."

Alicia rolled her eyes, unfazed by their banter. "Nicholas is more than just a cop. He's interesting, mysterious, and very deep."

Ethan and Uncle Chuck agreed to smile at the sight of Alicia boasting about Nicholas in front of them. But it didn't last long, as Uncle Chuck immediately cleared his throat to end the conversation.

"Alright. It's time for the shop to open, you'd better get ready, I'll put the ice cream in the display case," Uncle Chuck said.

He was a tall wise man, everyone agreed to those words. Uncle Chuck immediately took one by one the ice cream boxes from his large refrigerator in the kitchen, handed them over to Ethan and Alicia, and left the two part-timers to work.

In the midst of the bustle, Ethan tried to make conversation again. "Alicia, does that boyfriend of yours know who that dead guy we met is?"

Alicia turned her head, she mumbled for a long time. Alicia wondered whether she should give information about the corpse or not. But Ethan's curious face seemed to urge her to speak. Ethan was childish and innocent. "I don't know, Nicholas said that he already knew the identity of the dead man, but I haven't had a chance to reply to his message to ask more."

As Alicia and Ethan prepared the ice cream shop for the day's customers, the atmosphere shifted from the dark topic of the previous night's discovery to lighter banter. The bell at the entrance chimed, signaling the arrival of the first customer, breaking up the conversation about Nicholas and the mysterious corpse.

Amidst the sweet smell of freshly made waffles and the colorful display of ice cream flavors, Alicia couldn't help but feel her normalcy return. Uncle Chuck, a wise and tall figure in charge, orchestrates the precise placement of the ice cream, making the living room look like a vibrant candy fairyland.

As the day progresses, Ethan's curiosity about the deceased continues like an unspoken question in the air. Alicia finds herself grappling with the decision to share more details with Ethan, knowing that the mystery holds weight that could change the dynamics of their seemingly ordinary lives.

As the last scoop of Rocky Road was placed on the display case, Ethan couldn't help but investigate further. "Alicia, come on, you can't leave me hanging. What's up with that dead guy? Did Nicholas spill more details?"

Alicia raised both eyebrows, looking surprised. She had no idea that Ethan was really curious. But finally Alicia shook her head, letting her long hair move with her head to the right and left. "I don't think so. Nicholas and I haven't exchanged any messages. You see, we're very busy here," Alicia said, trying to change the subject by leaving with an empty ice cream box. And upon returning, Alicia realized that Ethan was still looking at her with a look that Alicia didn't understand. "What's wrong, Ethan?"

"This is the first time I've seen a dead body. I couldn't sleep all night, but I think my stomach is much better."

The smile on Alicia's lips brightened. She patted Ethan's shoulder lightly who was taller than Alicia, then said, "Maybe you could ask Uncle Chuck for a scoop of ice cream. He knows you've had a bad night."

"Ah, he'll cut my paycheck for that."

Ethan whined like a child, but Alicia ignored him. Alicia continued working like no murder had happened last night. This wasn't the first time, Alicia should have been more resilient. However in the end, when Alicia finished serving the customer who bought two caramel ice creams, Alicia still thought about what happened last night.

Nicholas had told Alicia about the identity of the dead man, but Alicia didn't know the details. Should she get involved, or should she just stay where she was and comply with Nicholas' request to keep her safe?

"Alicia!"

Uncle Chuck's voice from the kitchen brought Alicia to her senses. "Yes, Uncle Chuck?"

"Can you come over here and help?" Alicia quickly finished what she was doing, then went to Uncle Chuck.

"Sure."